Break Me (Brayshaw High #5)(64)

“What are you doing here?”

What am I doing here?

That’s what she comes at me with?

For real?

My face must give me away because she laughs and slips the rest of the way onto the porch. “I only meant I didn’t expect to see you after school. I mean, I didn’t expect to see you this morning either, after you ditched me in the pool last night and—”

“I get it.”

She laughs again and fuck, man. I shouldn’t be here.

Why am I here?

I don’t realize I’m walking backward until suddenly she’s eye level.

She has no makeup on today, and there’s no sign of puffiness on her face, which is good.

I like her face like this, clear and smooth.

Nothing but her.

I kinda like her.

Wait, no. Not like her like her, but I like her.

I mean, she’s what I like.

Wait! No.

I mean she’s cool, as in not annoying.

She’s a pain in my ass but not the kind I want to run over with my 22’s.

The kind I want to do naughty ass things to.

WHOA.

Bro... chill.

“Where you going?” she asks.

My eyes dart up to hers.

Virgin.

“What?”

She fights a smile, and I notice I’m standing in the dirt in a brand-new pair of Nike throwbacks.

For real? Now I’m a full three feet from the porch steps?

Fuck this.

I shake my shoulders out and make a mental note to ask Maybell about that shoe cleaner she uses.

“Put a suit on. I’ll wait.”

Her brows lift. “Like a blazer?”

“Like a swimsuit.”

“Now?”

“I said I’ll wait.” I frown, turn away, and head back for my ride.

The girl laughs her way back into the house.

She’s buckling into the passenger seat and we’re pulling away from the property within five minutes.

“So, where we going?” She pulls a bottle of lotion from her bag, and squirts some in her hand.

“You’ll see when we get there.”

In my peripheral, her palms flatten against her thighs and start to rub.

I squeeze the wheel a little tighter, my dick twitching in my trunks.

Fuck, man, what am I, twelve?!

She’s putting lotion on. And? Who cares!

I’m not even looking, touching or rubbing and the hot dog printed over my groin is about to be a jumbo dog.

“Royce.”

My head snaps her way.

She tilts hers. “You okay?”

I quickly focus on the road. “Huh. Yeah. I’m good. Fine. Put that shit away, yeah?” I jerk my chin toward her.

She squints and then looks to her hands. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I should have asked.”

“The answer will always be no.”

She doesn’t say anything for several minutes, instead staring out the window. When we’re on an old dirt road, she looks my way. “This looks like an exquisite place to dump a body.”

I scoff. “There’s a little waterhole back here, some sandbars and cliffs and shit.” I cut her a quick glance and keep down the narrowing path. “The entrance is on the other side, but this is the way Maybell would bring us when we were kids.”

“Why not the entrance?”

“No one could see us back here.” I frown at the road.

When we were young, we were tough, but we were just little boys. We were smart, but not always smarter than grown-ass men with agendas. As added precaution, we were hidden away for the most part.

We had each other, lacked nothing in life, but we weren’t free to roam. The world around us wasn’t safe, facts we understand now more than ever.

It only took one brother falling in love and risking it all, the other getting shot at and me, well, I pretty much partied through it all, came in to fuck up who needed fucked-up, and went on my merry way.

Before we were wild fuckers, we were brave boys.

Places like this were our escape, even if it was still just the three of us.

I don’t know why I’m bringing her out here, and this way.

My foot finds the brake and I’m ready to stop, throw it in reverse and go around, but then I look to Brielle.

She’s unbuckled her seat belt and has her shoulders and face out the window.

When she realizes we’ve stopped, she shifts, her shiny silver hair sticking to the gloss she must have snuck onto her lips as she looks over her shoulder. Right at me.

My stomach hollows and I wonder if I forgot to eat.

And then I remember... I ate plenty.

A heavy frown forms and concern seeps into her crazy, unusual turquoise eyes.

I face forward, take my foot off the brake, and fuck it.

I keep forward until we’re at the wide, flat embankment, park and hop the fuck out.

I don’t wait for her, instead leaping along the smaller rocks. Once I’m on the flat dirt plane, I ditch my shoes, and then jump up another. I continue until I’m at the highest peak point.

It doesn’t take long for her to make her way to me, but she pauses a rock below. I don’t have to glance over to know she’s eating the place up.

She loves the water, and this place offers a hell of a view.

Foothills of all sizes make up the place, large boulders mixed within them. Some of the hillsides stretch long and wide, curl and curve around the banks while others cut off completely, leaving a straight shot into the cool-ass, fresh and clean mountain water. There’re more hidden groves in this place than any other around here. You could come out here, walk all around on the busiest of days and still find your own private, hidden little cove.